


Leave You

by Clarrisani



Series: Breathe Trilogy [1]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-14
Updated: 2013-01-14
Packaged: 2017-11-25 11:47:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/638582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clarrisani/pseuds/Clarrisani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After losing his two best friends during an alien attack, Ianto quits Torchwood only to end up in a train wreck.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for TWWC (Torchwood Australia Writing Challenge) #9. Song used for challenge is Mika's "Relax (Take it Easy)"

Ianto Jones sighed as he gazed at the scenery outside his window as it flashed past. It was a clear day, making it easy for him to take in every little detail of the Welsh landscape. It was actually rather relaxing to watch, allowing his mind to drift and the tension of a couple of hours ago to drain away from him. The tension of the reason he had boarded the train in the first place.  
  
He clenched his fists, resting his head back and closing his eyes. He let out a long breath, trying to forget that explosive fight back at the Hub that had ended with him punching Jack so hard the other man had ended up face first in the water. Ianto hadn't stayed long enough to see if he got up before he stormed out, ignoring Owen and Tosh's pleas for him to stop and Gwen's tirade as she ran to fish out Jack.  
  
Now he was here, sitting on a train going to wherever it took him. He really didn't care, so long as it was as far away from Cardiff as it could get. He tried not to think of the death masks of the people they hadn't been able to save, the people Jack had effectively sacrificed in order to defeat the latest alien threat. Two of those people had been Ianto's childhood friends who hadn't run quite fast enough before Jack had activated the weapon and they'd been caught in the blast.  
  
He'd forgiven Jack for Lisa. He knew now that she had been a threat and there had been no choice in the matter, although he still believed that setting Myfanwy on her had been barbaric. But what had happened to Paul and Nathan... Ianto had yelled at Jack to stop, but his voice had been drowned out by the noise. It should never have happened. Innocents weren't supposed to be hurt by Torchwood, let alone killed.  
  
He ran a hand over his eyes, remembering the looks of pure terror forever imprinted on the faces of his friends. Owen had simply stared at him for a long while before turning and abusing Jack. Ianto himself had been in shock for a long time, Tosh trying to comfort him while Gwen sided with Jack. It was almost a role reversal of the team, and hadn't it been so complicated and messed up, it might have been amusing.  
  
It had all come to head back at the Hub, Ianto finally breaking out of his shock long enough to join Owen in the argument with Jack. Eventually Owen had backed away with wide eyes as the fight between Jack and Ianto became heated, even Gwen taking a step back as the other three watched in stunned silence. It had come to blows, Ianto sneaking in his right hook that left Jack reeling before he had stormed out with no intention of going back.  
  
He scowled as his phone rang, Ianto tugging it from his pocket and glaring down at the name on the screen. 'Jack'. He hit disconnect, sliding the phone away. He'd attached a handy piece of alien tech to the device that blocked any attempts to track him using the phones signal, but he left the phone on in case Tosh or Owen rang. So far only Jack had tried several times.  
  
Ianto had gone home after the fight and packed his things, jumping on the first train out of Cardiff. It had been coming for a while, the fight between himself and Jack, only Ianto had never thought his friends would get killed in the process. He and Jack had been at odds for a while now in regards to their relationship. Hell, could you even call it that?  
  
Jack had taken him on one date. _One_ date. Then things had pretty much gone back to the way things were before Jack had left. Innovative sex in random places at random times, with the flirtatious behaviour becoming more open in front of the others. But it still hadn't felt like a relationship. More like fuck buddies. And the main reason for that was Jack's insistent need to keep flirting with Gwen. Hell, Jack took Gwen out to dinner more than Ianto.  
  
Tosh sided with Ianto entirely, and eventually even Owen had made the occasional offhand comment that told Ianto that Tosh had explained things to him and that Owen supported Ianto. Gwen often questioned his relationship with Jack, saying it would destroy him if he wasn't careful. She was right. Nothing with Jack ever turned out well.  
  
He rolled his eyes as his phone rang again, Ianto ignoring the raised brows of the strangers around him as he glanced at the caller id and hit disconnect again. He'd just slipped the phone back into his pocket when the train jolted, causing him to grab the armrest. He glanced out the window, trying to see what had caused it when the sky suddenly went dark and the train jolted again.  
  
He swore as the carriage tipped, suspending itself in the air on only its left side wheels before it continued to tip, rolling onto its side and skidding along the ground. There were screams around him, Ianto finding himself lost in the noise and fear before pain hit him hard, plunging him further into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

"Jack, we're picking up readings of alien activity."  
  
Jack glanced up from where he was about to hit 'call' on his phone. "What kind of activity, and where?"  
  
"On the other side of Caldicot." Tosh looked back at him. "It's some sort of energy wave."  
  
"Caldicot?" Owen scowled. "Come on, Tosh. That's on the other side of Newport."  
  
"Still in Wales," Tosh pointed out.  
  
Jack slipped his phone back into his pocket, moving up behind Tosh and gazing at the map on her screen. "Train line?"  
  
She nodded. "The 5:15 First Great Western service for Arriva Trains Wales just went through. I think whatever it is attacked the train."  
  
"Why would it attack a train?" Gwen asked, looking up from her workstation.  
  
"Many reasons," Jack answered. "Energy. Food. It was bored."  
  
Gwen frowned. "We going to go look?"  
  
Jack sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "We only just dealt with alien threat. It never rains but it pours." He shrugged, moving towards his office. "Toshiko, see how much information you can come up with. Gwen, help her. Owen, you better go grab your medical supplies. There's going to be some injured people out there."  
  
They all chorused their acknowledgement, Tosh and Owen exchanging a quick look as Gwen went straight to work. Tosh raised her eyebrows, Owen rolling his eyes as he turned and made his way down into the autopsy bay, one hand already reaching for his phone.  
  
***  
  
Ianto gasped, pain sweeping through him as he jolted back into consciousness. Somewhere to the side he could hear shrieking and cries for help, the memory of what had happened coming back to him in a rush. He opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings and realising the carriage was still on its side, the window he lay half against just a network of cracks. Safety glass, he realised. Thank god for that.  
  
His eyes darted to the side as the shrieking moved closer, and frowning he realised it wasn't the normal shrieking of shock and pain, but rather that of absolute terror. He should know – he heard it often enough. He tried to move, gritting his teeth as he realised his shoulder was dislocated. That most likely had occurred when he had fallen when the train had tipped onto its side.  
  
He gasped as he managed to sit up, pain tearing through his body with each little movement. Hearing the tinkle of glass he glanced down, realising he was covered in it. He looked around, trying to regain his bearings and figure out where the glass had come from, only to remember that the woman on the other side of the walkway had had a bag of crystal vases and other items she'd probably bought at the Cardiff market.  
  
He looked around for the woman, finding her just outside of arms reach. He didn't have to look hard to realise she was dead. She'd had further to fall than him when the train had tipped, the impact and angle of her landing snapping her neck. She'd most likely died instantly.  
  
The screaming came closer, Ianto realising it was a couple of carriages up. It was by an old habit that he'd gotten on the last carriage. It was Lisa's fault, really. She'd had a belief that the safest part of the train was the rear carriage and always insisted they sat there, despite his protests that the first carriage had the smoothest ride. Even now, just over a year since her final death, he still sat in the rear carriage.  
  
He pulled himself to his knees, shifting up against the back of the seat. He set himself, and with a sharp movement slammed his shoulder against it. He stifled a scream, giving a couple of choked sobs. Hearing another scream toward the front of the train, he reached for his gun only to curse softly as he remembered he had left it on his desk back at the Hub.  
  
He shifted back to where he had woken, collecting himself and ignoring the pain. Hearing another shriek, he pushed himself up to gaze over the back of the seats quickly, noting for the first time that the front end of the carriage had been torn open. He frowned as he realised it was unnatural dark for the hour, and his eyes widened as he saw a dark shape shoot across the narrow gap, causing him to drop back down.  
  
He jumped as his phone rang, Ianto scrambling for it and glancing at the caller id. Seeing who it was, he hit receive. "Owen."  
  
" _Ianto, we need you, mate. Got some sort of alien activity out near Caldicot toward Chepstow. We think some sort of creature attacked the train_."  
  
"I know." Ianto pushed himself into a corner, closing his eyes at a fresh round of shrieking. "I'm on the train."


	3. Chapter 3

Owen almost dropped his phone, eyes widening as sat his pack back down onto the autopsy table. "You're what?"  
  
" _It was the first train out of Cardiff_."  
  
Owen frowned. "What were you doing leaving Cardiff?"  
  
Ianto was silent, Owen letting out a long breath and closing his eyes. Jack had seriously fucked up this time, that was for sure.  
  
"Okay." Owen leant back against the autopsy table, rubbing his eyes. "What do you know?"  
  
" _They came out of nowhere. It's really dark, so they're somehow blocking the light. They knocked the train off the tracks onto its side._ "  
  
"Jesus." Owen set his jaw. "You okay?"  
  
He heard Ianto hesitate. " _Dislocated my shoulder, but I got it back in. I was also sliced up a little by some crystal. Aside from that, just some bruising. At least that I'm aware of._ "  
  
Owen narrowed his eyes. "How badly are you sliced up?"  
  
" _Nothing too deep. I think. I haven't really had a chance to look._ "  
  
"Ianto, look now."  
  
There was a moments silence before Ianto replied again. " _Not too bad, but the arm where I did my shoulder... I seem to have sliced near the main artery near by elbow_."  
  
"Right. You need to stop the bleeding. Do you have your handkerchief on you?"  
  
" _I see where you're going. Hold on._ "  
  
Owen heard Ianto set the phone down and move around, Owen running through his head the Maths on how long it would take Ianto to bleed out with a wound where it was, but he couldn't accurately calculate it without seeing the nature of the injury. He considered asking Ianto to send him a picture of the wound as he heard the other pick up again.  
  
Owen straightened at the sound of a distant shriek on the other end of the line. "What the fuck was that?"  
  
" _Oh, that_." He heard the tightness to Ianto's voice. " _That would be the attackers killing the other passengers._ "  
  
" _Killing!?_ " He dove towards his computer. "Why the fuck didn't you say they were still there before?"  
  
" _You didn't ask._ "  
  
"Cut the bullshit, Ianto. What are they? Can you see them?"  
  
" _I caught a glance of one. They seem to be wraithlike. I'm not sure how they're killing. They're making their way back through the carriages. I'm on the rear one_."  
  
"How many carriages ahead are they?"  
  
There was a pause. " _I think they're two ahead of this one. But most of the passengers on here are dead already. The carriage was torn open in the crash, and there wasn't many on here to begin with._ "  
  
"Sounds like you were lucky, mate." Owen spun around, casting a quick look at the location information of the readouts before scooping up his bag and moving quickly up the stairs. "You hang in there. We're coming. Just stay alive."  
  
" _I'll try my best._ "  
  
Owen spotted Tosh and Gwen watching him, both frowning having obviously spotted the look on his face. "Don't bloody try. Just promise me you won't do something stupid and get yourself killed."  
  
" _I promise._ "  
  
"Good. Now keep your phone on. We might need to get in contact to find out more information." He paused. "Well, Tosh and I might call. I promise I won't let Jack on the phone."  
  
He almost heard the smile. " _Thank you_."  
  
"You're welcome. Now keep your head low."  
  
" _I'm going to look for more survivors_ ," Ianto said. " _We're like caged animals. I think our best move will be to run._ "  
  
"Sounds like a plan." Owen switched the phone to his other ear as he grabbed Ianto's gun off the other man's desk, checking to see if it was loaded before slipping it into his pocket. "Be careful."  
  
" _I will_."  
  
Owen waited until Ianto had ended the call before slipping the phone back into his pocket, zipping up his bag and glancing back over his shoulder to see Tosh and Gwen still watching him. "Well get a move on. We need to get out there."  
  
Gwen's look of concern deepened. "Owen, who was that? What's wrong?"  
  
Owen sighed, hoisting his pack up and meeting her eye. "Ianto's on that train."  
  
Tosh's gasp and Gwen's "oh my god" were drowned out by a louder "what do you mean 'Ianto's on that train'!?" from behind him.  
  
Owen winced, turning slowly to find Jack standing in the door to his office, a look partly of anger with a dash of fear mixed in on his face. Owen let out a long breath. If anything, Jack was rather protective of his tea-boy. "The train that was attacked. Ianto's on it. I called him to see if he would join us and he told me."  
  
"Does he know what we're up against?" Tosh asked when Jack didn't answer after a long while.  
  
"Some kind of wraith, apparently." Owen recited what Ianto had told him as Gwen and Tosh grabbed their things, Jack disappearing back into his office for his coat and gun.  
  
"Sounds like a Zarybok," Jack said as they headed for the SUV, Owen claiming the driver’s seat without any protest from his boss. "They feed on life."  
  
"Feed on life?" Gwen pulled the door closed and reached for her seatbelt as Jack sat in the passenger seat directly in front of her, Tosh already powering up the monitors to her right. "Like Abbadon?"  
  
"Kinda." Jack frowned as Owen started up the SUV and tore it out of the Wales Millennium Centre underground car park by the Bay. "Abbadon would suck it straight out of you so quickly you barely knew what was coming. Zarybok's... well, they like to sip."  
  
"Sip?"  
  
"They absorb the life force slowly," Tosh explained, gazing at the entry on Zarybok on the screen in front of her. "Apparently they prefer it if their prey is in pain."

Owen glanced in the rear view mirror. "There's data on them?"  
  
"Torchwood Four came across them roughly two months before they vanished," Tosh explained. "It was pretty much the same thing – the Zarybok attacked a train then too, absorbing the lives of everyone on board. The officials investigating the accident naturally assumed everyone died in the crash."  
  
"I see." Gwen nodded. "They cover up their feeding."  
  
"Seems that way." Tosh hit another few keys. "Torchwood Four did their own investigation. There was a witness. An elderly woman was out gathering apples from her tree when she saw a large dark cloud form around the train shortly before it went off the rails."  
  
"Did Torchwood Four ever find them?" Gwen asked.  
  
"No." Tosh looked at her. "The Zarybok simply disappeared once they were done. Apparently Torchwood Four felt they were closing in on them, but they vanished themselves before they made any sort of discovery."  
  
Gwen frowned, looking toward Jack. "What did happen to Torchwood Four?"  
  
"No one knows,” Jack replied, scowling down at his phone and slipping it back into his pocket, shooting a hard look at Owen. "How come he answered for you? He keeps cutting me off."  
  
"Maybe because you're the one who keeps killing everyone he knows," Owen replied.  
  
***  
  
Ianto switched the sound off on his phone, noting the look the other man was giving him. He gave Grant a reassuring smile. "Just someone I'm not talking too."  
  
"Evidently so." The man was middle aged and dressed in a suit, and just from his manner Ianto could tell he was a businessman. He'd broken his arm in the crash, and his reading glasses had shattered and left a nasty cut above his right eye.  
  
Ianto turned, glancing further down the carriage and ignoring the shrieks behind him. The wraiths had moved onto the next carriage, meaning that their survival depended on how many people had survived the crash. He hated to think that he was in a way sacrificing innocent life to save all those on this carriage. The parallels to earlier that day was not lost on him.  
  
"I think I saw a movement," Grant said, glancing behind them quickly toward the gap at the front of the carriage. "It was near the back."  
  
"Right."  
  
Ianto led the way, carefully picking his way over bodies. For all he knew, some of these people could well be alive, but he didn't have time to check them. All that concerned him were the conscious. As it were, this carriage had taken the worst damage, and from what he could see he had lucked out in the fact his row hadn't had many people, and the safety glass had remained in place. It had popped out in spots, meaning there were probably bodies strewn around out there along the tracks.  
  
Grant pointed, Ianto nodding as he saw something slink back into the shadows. Ianto moved around a seat that had come free from its bolts to the spot near the back, shifting so that he could see in the dull light. He smiled slightly, crouching.  
  
"Hello."  
  
The child gazed at him, her dark eyes staring at him for a moment before she returned the smile. "Hello."  
  
"Are you playing hide and seek?"  
  
She nodded. "Hiding from bad things."  
  
She couldn't be more than five, he decided, looking around. "Where are your parents?"  
  
She pointed. "They went that way."  
  
Ianto sighed, closing his eyes and knowing she was pointing toward one of the missing windows. He mentally steadied himself, looking down at her again. "How come you're down here?"  
  
"Was looking for my ring." She held up her hand, revealing the signet ring. "Grandpa gave it to me. Said it's special."  
  
"It is." He looked at her. "My name's Ianto. My friend’s name is Grant. What's your name?"  
  
"Anya."  
  
"Pleased to meet you Anya."  
  
"Ianto." Grant moved closer, smiling quickly at Anya before returning his attention to the younger man. "Those things are getting closer. I don't think there's anyone else on here."  
  
"I think you're right." He looked back at the girl. "Come on Anya. We're going to play a new game."  
  
"Really?" Her eyes lit up. "What?"  
  
"Chasey." He held out his hand, Anya taking it and coming out of her hiding place. "The monsters are it, and we can't let them catch us."


	4. Chapter 4

"We should have called Swanson and had her open up some roads for us," Jack muttered.  
  
"What difference would that make?" Owen shot Jack a look out the corner of his eye. "It's your bloody fault he's in this situation. If you'd listened to us–"  
  
"I've already been over this." Jack let out an exasperated sound, the girls exchanging a look in the back. Jack was almost ready to throttle Owen. "I had no choice. I had to do it then or else half of Cardiff would be dead by now."  
  
"No, you still could have waited ten more seconds. You know that. You said it yourself. You fired early 'just to be sure', and in the process pretty much killed the last of his friends."  
  
"Owen," Gwen said, an edge to her voice. "Jack did the right thing–"  
  
"Of course you take his fucking side." Owen shot her a look in the mirror. "You've been wanting into his pants forever. Ianto's a threat to you. Get him out of the way and–"  
  
"Owen Harper, I am going to kill you!" Gwen glared daggers into the side of his head. "That has nothing to do with it."  
  
"What, so you admit it."  
  
"Enough." Tosh shot Gwen a sharp look, before sweeping it over the two men in the front. "Fighting amongst ourselves is not going to get us anywhere."  
  
"Spoken like a true leader," Jack said, shooting her his famous grin, although she could see his heart wasn't in it.  
  
They continued in silence for a long while, coming into Newport without further incident. By now it would seem that the police had gotten wind of the incident and had begun clearing the road for them.  
  
They were just reaching the city limits when Jack finally cracked. "What the hell is he doing on a train anyway?"  
  
"Probably getting away from you," Tosh answered. "You did have a huge fight."  
  
"But a train to Gloucester?" Jack scowled. "Why not just go home to his flat and sleep it off like he usually does."  
  
"Because this time he didn't intend to come back," Owen said pointedly.  
  
Jack shot him a look. "What?"  
  
"He left his gun and security pass on his desk." Owen glanced quickly toward where Jack was staring at him. "I don't know about you, but I think that's his way of saying 'I quit'."  
  
"But he can't just walk out," Gwen said, glancing around at the others. "Can he?"  
  
They fell into an uncomfortable silence, Tosh distracting herself by monitoring the readings, Gwen picking at a bit of fluff on her pants. Owen stared out the windscreen at the road ahead, glancing toward where Jack was gazing blankly at the glove box.  
  
"Well," Owen said, breaking the silence. "I think I can officially say you fucked up big this time, Harkness."  
  
Jack didn't reply.  
  
***  
  
Grant and Ianto each held one of Anya's hands as they moved away from the train, Ianto noticing for the first time that the darkness surrounding them was indeed unnatural. It was murky, like a thick oil rather than a cloud. He ran through his mind the different files he had read, relating them back to what he had seen.  
  
"Zarybok."  
  
"Huh?" Grant looked at him. "What?"  
  
"That's the name of those things back there. Zarybok."  
  
Grant stared at him for a long moment before glancing back toward the train, spotting the dark things swirling around. As it was, theirs had been the only carriage to end up fully on its side. He turned back, looking at Ianto again. "How can you know?"  
  
"I am... _was_ working for Torchwood." Ianto stared through the darkness, narrowing his eyes at a distant movement. "It was my job to know these things."  
  
Grant's eyebrows rose. "I know Torchwood. Whenever something odd happens, they show up."  
  
"That's them."  
  
They started at the sound of screaming to their right, whipping around to stare into the murky darkness, but unable to make anything out. Anya whimpered, gripping their hands tighter and shifting so that she was right up against Ianto's leg.  
  
"Other people must have made it off the train." Grant whispered.  
  
Ianto didn't reply, frowning. He had to agree with Grant's assessment of the situation, that others had made it off the train and were lost in the darkness around them. That meant that the Zarybok's had finished going through the carriages and were looking for who was left. That had to be why bodies had been found so far from the crash outside of Bristol.  
  
"Let's keep moving,"  
  
Grant nodded, the two men smiling reassuringly down at the little girl who gave a shaky smile in return. They picked their path, moving as quickly as they could to put distance between themselves and the wraiths. In the back of his mind Ianto knew they had a real struggle on their hands. A struggle for survival.


	5. Chapter 5

"No, this thing can't go any faster, and yes, I am hurrying." Owen shot Jack a look out the corner of his eye. "So don't bother asking again."  
  
"I'm managed to acquire a satellite photo of the area," Tosh said, hitting a button and calling it up on screen, turning it so those in the front could see. "There's a large black cloud over the area, but when I do this..." she hit another button. "I can enhance the photo to pick up physical objects."  
  
"Oh my god." Gwen shifted in her seat, staring at the picture. "Is that the train?"  
  
Tosh nodded. The image showed quite clearly the outline of the train off the tracks, certain distortions in the picture obviously where the train had been torn open in places. The engine had been crushed, the first carriage looking like a giant fist had hit the side of it. The next two had jack knifed, while the remaining carriages were upright and still standing save for the rear that lay on its side.  
  
"Where do you think he was?" Gwen asked, staring at the picture.  
  
"Last carriage," Jack answered without hesitation.  
  
"How can you know that?" Owen asked.  
  
"He always sits on the last carriage." Jack shrugged. "He told me about it once when we were playing Twenty Questions."  
  
"You never play Twenty Questions," Gwen said.  
  
"Maybe he trusts Ianto," Owen said. “Then again, that could all just be a false pretence to get into his pants.”  
  
Jack rolled his eyes. "Why are you on his side all of a sudden?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you have a habit of screwing us over and/or killing the people we care about." Owen's grip tightened on the wheel. "Lisa, Mary, Tommy, Nathan, Katie..."  
  
Jack shot him a look. "Katie wasn't my fault."  
  
Owen shook his head, setting his jaw and staring out at the road ahead.  
  
Gwen frowned, looking at him before leaning toward Tosh. "Who's Katie?"  
  
"Owen's fiancée." Tosh leaned toward her, lowering her voice. "She died before Owen joined Torchwood. An alien parasite attached itself to her brain and killed her and a group of surgeons when they tried to remove it thinking it was a tumour."  
  
"Fucking parasite was eating away at her memories," Owen said, glancing in the mirror at Gwen. "And he–" he gestured toward Jack, "waited til she was dead then walked in wanting her brain. Bastard knocked me out and just took it, then proceeded to vanish and make me look stupid by editing the CCTV."  
  
"Wouldn't be that hard," Tosh said.  
  
"Oi!"  
  
Gwen frowned. "So everyone's lost someone?"  
  
"Everyone except you, Sweetheart," Owen said. "Maybe Ianto's right: you are Jack's favourite."  
  
Jack shot him a surprised yet slightly horrified look.  
  
***  
  
"Look!" Anya pointed ahead. "A house!"  
  
Ianto followed her finger, spotting the shape coming out of the darkness. "Yeap. It's some sort of building all right."  
  
"Think we can hide out there?" Grant asked, glancing around them. "I think I'd feel safer indoors. We're exposed out here."  
  
"Agreed." Ianto smooth Anya's hair where she was leaning against him, fingers of one hand gripping his belt. "Let's go see if anyone is home."  
  
They started forward, nearing the building that they soon came to realise was a barn of some sort. Ianto frowned, remembering seeing it from the train and thinking about how he and Jack had once performed several rather interesting sexual acts in a place like that a couple of months ago, only he had brushed the thoughts off.  
  
He reached back, gently prying Anya's fingers free and easing her toward Grant. "I'll go ahead and have a look."  
  
"Be careful," Grant said, holding onto Anya's hand when she tried to follow Ianto.  
  
"Always."  
  
Ianto gave them a quick nod of reassurance, then turned and headed toward the barn. He let out a long breath, closing his eyes and preparing himself, all at once wishing he hadn't left his gun on his desk. It was like these things always seemed to happen to him. It would be rather typical, actually. First Lisa, then Nathan and Paul, so it would only be about right if he ended up getting killed too.  
  
At least it would make Jack wake up to things. Too late, but it would still work.  
  
He opened his eyes and rested his hand against the door, giving it a hard shove. It opened without incident, Ianto glancing around and noticing for the first time that someone had managed to break the lock. He frowned, stepping inside and noting the flicker of light coming from one side. Candle light, or at least some sort of flame.  
  
He made his way further into the barn, taking in the smell of straw, wood and leather. He looked along the walls, and spotting the saddles and bridals, as well as a pile of straw off to one side. Probably where the owner kept their equipment and extra feed, he decided. He let his gaze move upward, noting the lack of electric lighting. The barn must be far enough away from the main house that the lines didn't stretch.  
  
There as a movement off to the side, Ianto's eyes widening as he sidestepped the blow. The pitchfork stabbed into the door beside him, Ianto moving quickly to grab the other person and slam them face first into the wall as they tried to yank the fork free. He frowned, taking in the size of the other and realising he couldn’t be more than 14.  
  
"You were on the train?"  
  
"Piss off," the boy replied. "Get off me."  
  
"Not until you calm down." Ianto loosened his grip a bit. "Relax. Take it easy. I was on the train too."  
  
The boy stopped struggling, looking back at him in the low light and seeming to take in Ianto for the first time. Ianto let him go, the boy yanking free and spinning so that he was facing Ianto. "What's with sneaking in?"  
  
"Had to be sure those creatures weren't in here," Ianto said. "Are you alone?"  
  
The boy nodded, but a voice behind Ianto told him otherwise. "I'm here as well."  
  
He turned around, spotting the young woman. Her blond and almond hair slipped over her eyes from where it had come free from some sort of hairstyle, almost hiding the bruise forming on one side of her face.  
  
"My names Jodie," she said, nodding toward the boy. "That's my stepbrother, Colin." She met Ianto's eye. "Please tell us you know what's going on."


	6. Chapter 6

"Who in their right mind would have sheep on the road at this hour!"

"Jack, stop it." Gwen glared at the back of his head. "I swear, sometimes you're as bad as Owen."

Owen frowned. "Hey!"

"Late in the afternoon after rush hour is a logical time to move sheep," Tosh pointed out. "And they did move them as quickly as they could."

"Look, Jack." Owen shot him a levelling glare. "Nagging, bitching and whining is not going to make the SUV go any faster. It's just going to piss us off."

"That's good coming from you," Gwen muttered.

"Oi. I heard that."

"Good. You were supposed to."

"Kids, enough." Jack glanced back over his shoulder. "Tosh, do the records say anything about how to approach these things?"

"No, there's nothing." She looked at him. "Torchwood Four never had the opportunity. The only note is that bullets make them angry."

"Great." Owen scowled. "So what? We go up and beat them to death?"

"Do that and they'll probably have sucked your life out before you can even raise your fist," Jack said.

"Now there's a cheery thought."

"But there's got to be some way to fight them." Gwen looked around the other three. "I mean, what's the point of coming all the way out here if we can't even defend ourselves."

"We'll figure it out," Jack said, shooting his team his trademark grin. "We usually do."

"Hello, Ianto?" They all glanced back, noticing for the first time that Tosh had her phone out. "Have you managed to take a good look at the creatures?" She paused for a long moment before she frowned. "And that's all you've seen?"

"Care to relay the details, Tosh?" Owen asked.

Tosh glanced at him. "Hold on, Ianto. I'm going to put you on speaker so everyone can hear. It'll save having to explain twice." She paused as he said something, her eyes drifting toward Jack. "No, he won't say anything."

Jack frowned, turning back around to continue glaring out the windscreen as Tosh hit a button on her phone, setting it down.

"Okay, Ianto. Tell us again."

"They're definitely Zarybok," he said, the others noting at once that his accent was slightly thicker than normal. It was something that only ever happened when he was either completely exhausted, extremely angry, or in pain. In this case, all three most likely applied. "They meet all the descriptions. They're wraithlike. They seem to float in their movements, but are definitely corporal."

"If they're corporal, they can be killed," Owen said. "Pleased to hear it. We'd be in shit if we were dealing with ghosts."

"Ianto," Gwen said, leaning toward the phone. "Did you manage to find any other survivors?"

"Four. One man and three children."

Gwen looked slightly alarmed at the mentioning of children. "His children?"

"No. Two of the children were travelling home from visiting one of their parents. Step-siblings. The other's parents... didn't make it."

"Oh my god."

"Okay, that's sad and all that, but let's get back to these Zarywhatsit things." Owen navigated a turn in the road, staring out the windscreen. "We're about 15 minutes away and hoping you might have been able to see any sort of weakness. You know, eyes we could poke out and things like that."

"No eyes that I can see. Haven't been close enough." They heard him let out a long breath, Owen frowning and glancing back over his shoulder. "They seem to generate their own gravity field that allows them to levitate up to a metre off the ground. I haven't seen how they attack yet, but they move in groups and surround their victims."

Gwen frowned. "Ianto, you say they surround their victims. Is that what did they to the train?"

"Yes." They heard the pause. "I think they've still on the train. Right now they're moving around the surrounding areas looking for survivors."

"You right, mate?" Owen glanced in the rear view mirror. "Somewhere safe?"

"We're in a barn of sorts. What it looks like, anyway, from the design of it. It's better than being out in the open."

"Got any weapons."

"Does a pitchfork count?"

Owen swore. "You shouldn't have left your gun on your desk."

There was a long pause. "Noticed, did you?"

"Yeah. I did." Owen shook his head, drumming his fingers on the wheel. "Look, lie low. I've got your gun. I'll give it to you as soon as we get there."

"Guns are no use against Zarybok."

"Can't hurt, can it?"

"How old are the children?" Gwen cut in, the only one to notice the increasing tightness in Jack's jaw at the mention of Ianto leaving his things behind on the desk, Ianto's own way of saying 'I'm not coming back' obviously still running through Jack's mind.

"Youngest is six. A girl. The boy is 13, and his step sister is 16."

Owen smirked. "She hot?"

"I'm going to pretend you didn't ask that."

Jack chuckled, Tosh hiding a smile while Gwen just rolled her eyes. Gwen looked at the phone. "You're all safe for now?"

"For now," Ianto repeated. "It will only be a matter of time before we are discovered. We are still within the cloud barrier. It seems to be expanding."

They exchanged looks. "What do you mean, 'cloud barrier'?" Tosh asked.

"It's the only way that I can explain it," Ianto said. "The train was surrounded by it. It cut out the light and made it harder to see the Zarybok. I would go so far as to say that it is some kind of shield."

"Didn't that picture Torchwood Four have show something similar?" Gwen said, looking toward the others.

Owen frowned, Tosh hitting keys while Jack just nodded.

"Let me see if I understand," Tosh said, hitting keys. "The Zarybok create some sort of cloudlike shield that restricts the light and therefore makes it harder to see them, and not only that they use it so that it is harder to escape and also restricts people from seeing what's happening."

"Basically. It prevents any interference while they do what they are doing. I believe that is why they waited until the train was out of sight of the towns before they attack. The less witnesses, the better."

"So they're clever little buggers," Owen muttered.

"It appears that way."

"Great. Just what we need."

"Ianto, I'm going to continue searching out databases," Tosh said. "I'll contact you to let you know if I find anything that will help."

"Okay, Tosh. I don't remember seeing anything, but I might have missed something."

"Somehow I doubt it."

Obviously deciding that the main conversation was over, Jack finally broke his silence. "Ianto, listen to me. Just-"

Ianto broke the connection instantly.

***

Grant chuckled as he saw the look on Ianto's face as the other man stuffed his phone back into his pocket. "Fight with the girlfriend?"

"Boyfriend," Ianto corrected. "If you can call him that."

"I thought you were talking to the people you work with," Jodie said.

"I did." Ianto shrugged it off. "I was sleeping with my boss."

"Oh, ouch. Worst thing you can do." Grant pulled a face. "Break up and everything goes to shit."

Ianto raised a brow. "Speaking from experience?"

Grant smiled and shrugged.

"Wait, a guy can't have a boyfriend," Colin said. "Guys have girlfriends."

Jodie rolled her eyes and gave a frustrated sigh, causing the two men to smile knowing this was obviously an old argument. Ianto glanced down, gently smoothing Anya's hair where the little girl had fallen asleep curled against him, still clinging to his belt. He glanced up as Colin stood, creeping toward the door.

"Colin, get back from there," Jodie hissed.

"Why? Not like they can find us."

"You don't know that."

Colin ignored her, glancing through the crap in the door. "Still dark."

Ianto glanced at his watch, taking in the time and frowning. "Sun should be almost down. It'll be pitch black out there soon."

Colin spun to face him. "Are they really aliens?"

Ianto looked at him. "Bad ones, yes."

"Cool." Colin moved back toward where the group was sitting around the small fire, the boy dropping down beside Ianto. "And you work with Torchwood."

Ianto sighed. "I did."

"Did?" Jodie frowned. "You don't anymore?"

"I quit today. Too much death." He huffed, smiling at the irony of it all as he followed the trail of smoke up toward the rafters. "Can't escape it."

"Is that why you were on the train?"

Ianto nodded. "I jumped on the first train out of Cardiff. Figured if I took a ride to the end of the line I could escape it all. Now I'm starting to think it's me."

"Can't be you," Grant said. "I used to work in London a while back. I remember that Torchwood building in Canary Warf. It was the centre of that battle. I almost got my head blown off by these oversized pepper pots while I was out getting a coffee. That wasn't you."

Ianto shook his head, tight smile still on his lips. "Guess where I worked before I transferred to Cardiff."

There was a long silence, Grant shifting uncomfortably while Jodie averted her eyes. Colin picked up the tension in the air and began to mess around with some straw on the floor. Grant let out a long breath, stretching his legs out in front of him and wincing. Ianto had to agree with him about the pain. Since they were no longer moving the adrenaline had worn off a little, and every little hurt was beginning to burn. He fingered where he had tied the handkerchief, noting that it was now stained a deep red.

Colin let out a sharp gasp, causing them to look up.

"What is it?" Jodie asked.

"I think I heard something," Colin said, staring at the far wall. He pointed. "Out there."

"What did you hear?" Ianto asked, shifting to a more ready stance, Anya protesting as she was woken.

"It was like a scratching," Colin said. "Like our Mum's cat when it wants to get in."

Jodie looked panicked. "Is it them?"

"Don't know." Ianto frowned. "We need to find some kind of weapon to defend ourselves, for there is nothing that we can do without them."

"What good would it do anyway," Grant said, the fear beginning to show in his eyes. "They're dark. They've made the place dark. It's getting dark. We can't see them."

"Are you afraid of the dark?" They looked down at Anya, the little girl leaving Ianto's side for the first time to move over the Grant. "I'm afraid of the dark too. When I get really scared my Dad turns the light on. Mum says it chases all the monsters away."

Ianto stared at her for a long while as what she said slowly began to sink in. He looked at the door, then down toward the fire flickering between them. Had everything not already been hurting, he would have slapped himself for being so dense. "Anya, you're brilliant." He picked up a piece of straw, tossing it into the flame and grinning as he watched it burn. "There is an answer to the darkest times."

The others looked at him like he'd lost his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The line "There is an answer to the darkest times" is a line from the song "Relax" used for this challenge, as a requirement was to include a lyric. Sorry if it reads cornyish.


	7. Chapter 7

"Oh my god."  
  
Owen had pulled the SUV up at the top of the rise, the sun setting behind them as they gazed at the swirling darkness in front of them. It was exactly as Ianto had described, a large part of the countryside disappearing into an inky blackness that consumed everything and prevented them from seeing anything within it cloudy depths.  
  
Jack swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in his throat. "Tosh? Anything on how to defeat these things?"  
  
"I'm afraid not." She looked up. "Ianto was right. There is nothing on our records."  
  
"I swear that man spends far too much time reading the archives," Owen muttered.  
  
"It's like something out of a nightmare, a horror film." Gwen said softly, leaning forward and staring wide eyed at the swirling nothingness. "It's like it does something to me as I'm looking at it. Projecting feelings." She frowned slightly. "It's as if I'm scared."  
  
"It's as if I'm terrified," Owen agreed.  
  
Jack shook his head. "Don't let it get to you. It's a psychological effect of their shield to prevent people from trying to approach it and find out what's happening."  
  
"Yeah," Owen said, a slight shakiness to his voice as he shot Jack a quick look before pointing forward. "I still don't want to go in there."  
  
Gwen frowned. "Wouldn't it be affecting Ianto?"  
  
"Not necessarily," Jack said. "He's inside the field. His main worry is to stay alive. Any fear he feels would be real."  
  
"The shielding doesn't block our equipment at all," Tosh said, fingers flying over the keyboard. "I've been able to take geographical readings of the area within the cloud and I've found the imprint of what must be the barn. It's the only manmade structure within the parameter aside from the train and some fences."  
  
Jack looked back at her. "Where?"  
  
She rattled off the exact coordinators, Owen hitting the accelerator and surging the SUV forward. He didn't even bother to stop and open a gate as he veered off the main road into a field. They all winced as the SUV plunged into the cloud, the lasts of the day becoming almost pitch black night. Owen instinctively turned on the headlights, the twin beams of light splitting the darkness as the Range Rover bounced over the uneven ground at speed.  
  
"Tosh, the Zarybok have got to be projecting the field from somewhere," Jack said, looking back as he braced himself, one hand on the dash. "See if you can locate the source."  
  
"I'm already on it."  
  
"Jack," Gwen glanced out at the darkness for a moment and setting herself. "You and Tosh try and find the shield. Owen and I will look for Ianto."  
  
As expected, Jack didn't like the plan. He spun, blue-grey eyes reflecting his disproval and faint anger. "Excuse me? And who made you boss?"  
  
"She's right, Jack." Owen kept his eyes on the road, wincing slightly as he felt Jack's hard gaze land on him. "The Zarybok are probably guarding their shield. If anyone can shut it down, you and Tosh can. Gwen and I would be useless."  
  
Jack stared at him, then looked at Tosh. "Let me guess: you agree with them."  
  
Tosh chewed her lower lip and nodded. "Afraid so."  
  
Jack glared at each of them in turn before dropping properly back into his seat, crossing his arms over his chest and reminding them slightly of a spoilt child denied his favourite toy for bad behaviour. In a way, it was partly true. "We still don't know how to harm these things, so stay alert."  
  
The other three exchanged quick looks, but never said a thing.  
  
***  
  
They did have eyes. They were empty pits of darkness, or at least he assumed those were the eyes. They were the logical place for eyes to be. Then again, considering how long he'd been working for Torchwood he should know that logic and Torchwood never really went together.  
  
He and the others stood in a ring of flame they had created using the straw and diesel for the owner's vehicles they had found in the barn. Anya stood just behind him, Ianto having finally convinced her to stay in the centre of their circle. Each of the others, including himself, held a makeshift torch in their hands, the flame hot against him as he gazed out into the darkness.  
  
Around them several Zarybok lay dead, their bodies still smouldering from where they had managed to catch them with their flames. It turned out that the wraithlike Zarybok where highly flammable. Combined with their obvious fear of light, Ianto knew they had finally found a way to fight the creatures. Now he just hoped they didn't run out of fuel.  
  
"How many do you think there are?" Jodie asked, scanning their surroundings. Save for the light thrown from the flames, they were now surrounded by complete and utter blackness, so thick it was like a solid, impregnable wall.  
  
"Don't know," Ianto admitted. "If we could somehow disable whatever it is causing the darkness we'd be able to see."  
  
A rustling caught their attention, and glancing to the side they spotted the shadows shift. The Zarybok seemed content in hiding in the darkness, only entering the light when they saw an opening. Ianto glanced down, swearing softly to himself.  
  
"Colin, there's a break in the circle."  
  
Colin looked down, eyes widening as he realised that the flames had died down in the place just to his left. He scrambled back to grab more fuel, Anya screaming as the Zarybok swept in from nowhere. Grant was there in an instant, sweeping with his torch and setting the front runners alight. They shrieked, the group wincing at the high pitched sound that split through their heads.  
  
"Oh god..." Jodie groaned, dropping to her knees. "I can't... I can't..."  
  
"Stay strong," Ianto said, glancing back at her. "You can do it."  
  
"We can't." Grant shook his head. "Not alone, we can't."  
  
Ianto felt the wave of helplessness sweep over him. He frowned, recognising the telepathic field at once. Obviously the Zarybok had come across resistance in the past and were fully prepared. He felt a bead of sweat roll down his face, the pain in his body growing. He scanned the shadows, seeking out the source and spotting a group of Zarybok standing near the barn.  
  
Initially he thought the group were blocking their retreat, but remembered how easily the Zarybok had moved through the train taking the lives of the survivors. No, they were doing something else. He narrowed his eyes, trying to force himself to focus and realising that they were holding something.  
  
The wave of fear and helplessness hit him hard as it tripled; Anya, Jodie, Colin and Grant crumpling, the three children collapsing in sobs, Grant staggering before falling to his knees, gasping. The torch fell from his hands as he wrapped his arms around himself, rocking and reciting something under his breath.  
  
Ianto called on every bit of psychic training he had, fighting to suppress the feeling as his strength wavered. He saw the Zarybok moving in again through the break, and in four long strides he stepped over Colin's now unconscious form and swept with his flame, the screams almost breaking what little resolve he had left as the Zarybok burned, effectively closing the gap with their bodies.  
  
He staggered back as the field magnified again, and gritting his teeth he screamed. The pain was searing now, every inch of him hurting. He had lost, he knew that. And no matter how much he screamed, no one would hear him. He was lost. He was alone. It was over.  
  
His fingers tightened their grip on his torch as he widened his stance, staring down the Zarybok in front of him, the creature flirting with the shadows. He hadn't survived Canary Warf, hadn't survived Lisa, Abbadon, the end of the world many times over, to be killed out here alone. He wouldn't go down without a fight.  
  
"Come on!" He yelled. "What are you waiting for!" He spread his arms in an invitation. "Come and get me!"  
  
The pressure on his mind increased again, but he forced it back, setting himself as the Zarybok seeming to set themselves, rallying closer and closer to where he was. For the first time he could see them clearly, their dark eyes glittering like onyx gems, so tiny yet endlessly dark like the fabricated dark around them. They were partially humanoid in form, with long limbs lost beneath what he could only link to a robe like fabric so light it floated, but he could still see the workings of technology strapped to their bodies.  
  
The Zarybok seemed to smile, its black teeth reflecting the fires glow. It leaned forward, raising one arm, long fingers pointing toward him in a way he could only interoperate as a threat. Four fingers, he noted. Only four. No fingernails, but a fine light absorbing fur covering the skin. Not to mention a very interesting object on the end of one finger.  
  
As he stared at it the air seemed to ripple, a burst of dark cloud erupting from it and slipping through what was left of the break in the fire. The tendril wrapped itself around him, and instantly he felt as if his insides were trying to be torn from him. He screamed, barely managing to maintain his grip on the torch as his legs finally gave way, sending him to his knees.  
  
He used everything he had to bring the flame up, blocking the path of the tendrils and instantly feeling relief that allowed him to regain his breath. He knew now why there had been so many screams. They tortured their victims into submission, and once they could no longer fight they took their life force without a struggle. It was so structured and strangely passive that Ianto would have been impressed had he not been fighting for his life.  
  
He glanced back at the prone forms around them, slightly surprised to find Jodie still watching him, her body raked with sobs. Her eyes seemed to plead at him not to give up, for him to save her. It was his job, after all. He couldn't let her down.  
  
He turned back, finding the Zarybok still watching him. He struggled back to his feet, setting his jaw in defiance and sweeping his torch at a Zarybok that tried to slip in while he was down. The leader seemed slightly impressed before raising its hand again. Ianto mentally set himself, but he knew.  
  
He was about to die.


	8. Chapter 8

Jack tugged at the wheel, curving the SUV around a group of approaching Zarybok and flooring it. Tosh continued to give directions, pinpointing the location of the main energy readings.  
  
"From what I can gather, it's near the front engine of the train," she said, gazing at screen. "Just continue going the way you're going." She frowned, leaning forward. "Jack, I'm picking up several life forms surrounding the energy source. A guard?"  
  
"Most likely." Jack tugged hard at the wheel, navigating around a rock that jutted out of the grass. "How far away are we?"  
  
"Not far." Tosh glanced up. "It should be just over the next rise."  
  
They fell into a silence, both watching as the SUV took the rise, tyres leaving the ground before they were jostled as they regain traction. The darkness parted, giving them their first look at the wreck of the train. Jack pulled at the wheel, turning them so that they ran parallel to the line, hitting the brakes once they could see the engine.  
  
"Which way?"  
  
Tosh glanced at the screen. "It should be... right there." She pointed, gesturing toward the engine. "It's coming from the engine itself."  
  
Jack angled the SUV so that the headlights could light their path before killing the engine. He pulled his gun free, looking back at her and grinning. "You ready?"  
  
"Not really. But I guess we never really are." She returned the smile, pressing a couple of buttons on her PDA. "I can track the energy readings to their source. Then it's just a matter of turning it off. We don't know anything about their technology, let alone how to defend ourselves against them."  
  
He winked at her. "Guess we'll just have to find out."   
  
Tosh readied her own gun, letting out a steadying breath. "Here we go."  
  
***  
  
Ianto started at the sound of the gunshot, watching as the Zarybok stepped back. He spun around, eyes widening as he saw two shapes emerging from out of the darkness, guns raised.  
  
"Get away from him you bastards!" Owen yelled, firing a couple more shots at the Zarybok before reaching into his jacket and pulling something free. "Ianto! Catch!"  
  
Ianto watched as Owen tossed something toward him just as Gwen staggered as she came into the range of their device. He reached up, snatching the gun from the air and turning; pointing it toward a barrel he had spotted earlier just outside the doors of the barn. Praying quickly that they were filled like those inside the barn, he flipped off the safety with his thumb, aimed and squeezed the trigger.  
  
The explosion ripped through the darkness, the Zarybok shrieking as they caught on fire. Ianto found himself thrown back by the explosion, the wind knocked out of him as he hit the ground. He felt the telepathy field break as the device emitting it was destroyed, and glancing back he saw Jodie gasping, her eyes falling closed as she finally slipt into unconsciousness.  
  
He pushed himself up, wincing as he realised he'd worsened the fractured rib he'd sustained in the train crash. He looked toward where the Zarybok had been gathering and laughed to himself, wincing as pain shot through him. He started as two arms wrapped around him.  
  
"It's just me," Gwen said, running a soothing hand through his hair. "Are you all right?"  
  
"Bloody hell, Gwen, you can see he's not." Owen dropped down beside him, attention automatically going to his injured arm. "I swear, you are completely and utterly mad, Jones."  
  
Ianto chuckled, letting himself lie back against Gwen as Owen checked over his injuries. Once the doctor had stopped fussing long enough to Ianto to get his attention, Ianto spoke again.  
  
"You should check the others."  
  
"What? So now you're giving me orders, are you?" Owen pushed himself up, heading toward Anya. "Need I remind you that you quit."  
  
"I'm fully aware of that."  
  
"Ianto..." He glanced up at Gwen, who was still gently smoothing his hair, her thumb occasionally trailing lightly over his forehead. "You wouldn't really quit, would you? You'd just take a break–"  
  
"No." He shook his head, meeting and holding her eye. "I can't take it anymore, Gwen. There's too much death. I'm tired. Tired of it all."  
  
Gwen just stared at him, the two interrupted as Owen stood up and dusted himself off.  
  
"Well, this lot are fine. Just a few cuts, bruises, the odd broken bone. I bet they'll have a rather impressive headache when they wake up. God, I have."  
  
Gwen looked around, eyeing the fire circle. "Ianto, what were you doing before we arrived?"  
  
"Defence." He answered. "They're made of darkness. Darkness is defeated by light."  
  
"Fire!" Owen slapped a hand against his forehead. "Why the hell didn't we think of that!" He hit the button on his headset. "Jack! Tosh! It's fire! Fire is the Zarybok's weakness!"  
  
***  
  
Jack spun, one hand going to his headset. "Owen, are you sure of that?"  
  
" _Dead sure. That's how Ianto was keeping them off. Kills them dead._ "  
  
"Thanks Owen," Tosh said, turned and running back toward the SUV.  
  
Jack frowned, shooting at a Zarybok that made to follow her. "Tosh, what are you doing?"  
  
"Remember how we had issues with those bugs a couple of weeks ago? I never took the flamethrower out of the car in case they came back." She opened the rear compartment, reaching in and taking the weapon out before locking the SUV up again.  
  
Jack covered her, switching on his comms again. "Owen? Gwen? Did you find Ianto and the other survivors?"  
  
" _We found them,_ " Gwen replied. " _They were under attack, so most of them were unconscious. They're just starting to come around._ "  
  
" _Before you ask, he's fine_." Owen said. " _A few cuts and bruises and he's still pissed at you, but he's otherwise fine_."  
  
Jack nodded, shooting another shot at an approaching Zarybok that spun toward him, reaching out a hand, tendrils of darkness sweeping toward him. They had just brushed him when the darkness lit up, the Zarybok shrieking as Tosh set it alight. She spun, sending another wave of flame into surrounding Zarybok that had been concealing themselves in the shadows.  
  
Jack smirked, making a note on how hot Tosh looked with a flamethrower before he turned back toward the train, holstering his weapon. "Which way?"  
  
She tugged her PDA from her belt, glancing at hit. "This way."  
  
Jack followed her toward the engine, Tosh making short work of any Zarybok that tried to take them on. They moved around the side of what was left of the engine, both spotting the large boxlike object at the same time. The group of Zarybok spun toward them, Tosh shooting flames toward them and sending them in all directions.  
  
"That must be it," Jack said. "See what you can do."  
  
Tosh gave him the flamethrower, Jack positioning himself behind her as Tosh began inspecting the box. Jack sent another burst of flame at the closest group of Zarybok, the creatures circling them in the darkness. They certainly weren't stupid.  
  
Jack frowned as a Zarybok approached with a box in its hands, one long fingered hand brushing the controls. Instantly a wave of helplessness and terror swept over him, Tosh crying out behind him and collapsing against the shield generator. Jack gritted his teeth, levelling the flame thrower of the creature and firing, cursing as he realised it stood just out of range.  
  
If he moved forward to stop it, he would leave Tosh exposed. If he let it be, it would continue to attack with its weapon. Jack gritted his teeth, looking back over his shoulder.  
  
"Tosh, work through it. Focus yourself on switching off the shield."  
  
"I'll... I'll try." She said, her voice wavering as she forced herself back up, pulling the cover off.  
  
Another wave hit them, Jack widening his stance and staring the creature down. He glanced down, noting the bushes around them and with a casual sweep he set them all alight, surrounding himself and Tosh in a circle of flame. Their own personal shield.  
  
"I think I have it," Tosh said through gritted teeth. "But I don't think I can turn it off without damaging it."  
  
"Then damage it," Jack said. "Just switch it off."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Tosh reached in, pulling at a wire of sorts. The generator made a crackling sound, a rush of dark energy bursting out of it and sending her falling backwards. Abruptly the noise stopped, the darkness surrounding them fading quickly away. Jack let out a long breath as the twilight threaded its way over the crash site, the wreck of the train appearing, along with the bodies of those who hadn't been able to run away. At the same time a weight disappeared from his mind, the device the Zarybok held seeming to fail as the dark cloud lifted.  
  
" _Jack_."  
  
Jack hit his comm. "Gwen."  
  
" _They're retreating. As soon as the shield lifted they began pulling out. We're clear down here._ "  
  
"Pleased to hear it." He glared at the Zarybok surrounding him, this group obviously still wanting to retrieve their shield generator although he could see those further back disappearing back into the brush. "The authorities should arrive soon. Let them know Torchwood will handle the investigation."  
  
" _Of course._ "  
  
Tosh stood, brushing herself off and looking around. "These ones must want the generator."  
  
"That's my conclusion." Jack looked back at her, nodding to the side. "I can see the barn from here. Go down and help the others. I don't think the Zarybok will stop you. They seem weaker in the light."  
  
Tosh frowned. "What about you?"  
  
"I'm going to confiscate their shield," he said. "As soon as it's loaded into the SUV, I'll join you."  
  
Tosh nodded, stepping over the flames.  
  
"Tosh?"  
  
She looked back.  
  
"Good work."  
  
She smiled and nodded, then took off down the hill at a run. As predicted, the Zarybok made no move to follow her.


	9. Chapter 9

Anya had clung to him the moment she had woken, Gwen thinking it rather cute while Owen had that smirk on his face that always meant that a heap of teasing was on the near horizon if he stuck around. He had no intention of doing that.  
  
Gwen still hadn't left his side, her hand on his knee where he sat cross-legged on the ground, Anya in his lap. Colin and Jodie were beside him, the younger quite happy to recite their adventures to Owen who was listening with amusement as he went about putting a splint on Grant’s arm.  
  
Hearing his name, Ianto looked up and saw Tosh rushing toward them. She dropped down beside him, hugging him tightly. Ianto felt Gwen's hand tighten on his knee, and glancing at her out the corner of his eye spotted the tight smile on her lips.  
  
"You really know how to give me a scare," Tosh said, pulling back and looking him over. "You're okay then?"  
  
"I'm fine, Tosh. No permanent damage." He glanced around them. "You found the generator then?"  
  
She nodded. "It was near the front engine. I had to damage it to switch it off, but I'm going to try and repair it once we get it back to the Hub."  
  
"What, we're keeping it?" Owen asked.  
  
Tosh nodded. "Jack's just loaded it into the SUV now."  
  
Ianto scowled at the mention of Jack's name, a fresh wave of anger rushing through him. He looked down the hill at the sound of approaching sirens. He saw Gwen and Tosh exchange a look, Owen watching him out the corner of his eye. He knew what they were thinking.  
  
"You can't stay mad at him forever," Tosh said softly.  
  
Ianto shot her a look. She cringed, averting her eyes.  
  
"Ianto..." Gwen said, Ianto knowing from her tone she was about to try and give him some sort of speech. "Jack did what he had to do. It's part of the job. We have to lose people in order to keep everyone else alive. We just have to mourn them for a while, then go on. It's what we do. It'll all work out okay in the long run."  
  
Ianto set his jaw. "Tell me that again after you lose Rhys."  
  
Gwen looked like she'd been slapped, Tosh's grip in his arm tightening. Owen frowned, looking across at him.  
  
"That's low, man. True, but low."  
  
"But still true," Ianto said, meeting his eye. "Everyone but Gwen has lost someone. You lost your fiancée. Jack contributes to the deaths of every single one of Tosh's lovers. And I..." He swallowed down the lump in his throat. "I've lost everything. And I'm not risking what little I have left."  
  
"What about Jack?" Tosh said softly. "He cares about you."  
  
Ianto shook his head, closing his eyes as the authorities finally arrived.  
  
***  
  
Jack sighed, shutting the rear compartment of the SUV. He looked back, spotting the last of the Zarybok disappear. They had made one final attempt at taking back the generator, but retreated when he'd turned the flamethrower on them. It would appear they were indeed weaker without their complete shroud of darkness.  
  
He opened the driver’s door, swinging himself up and in, tossing the flamethrower onto the passenger seat before closing the door and turning the engine over. He winced at the sight of the bodies, knowing that there were more inside the wreck of the train. The place was a mess, and they had one hell of a clean-up operation ahead.  
  
He hated to think that they would have to retrieve the bodies of the Zarybok before they could retrieve the humans, but he couldn't have the wrong person getting their hands on one of the creatures. At least they now knew how to attack the Zarybok. Ianto had given them that much.  
  
He frowned, looking at the train one more time. Ianto had really had a bad day. First his friends had been killed, then he'd been involved in the train crash, then he'd ended up hunted and attacked by creatures of the darkness. In the past it would mean a night of sitting on the couch holding Ianto in his arms, the younger man clinging to him, but Jack had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach that that wasn't how this story was going to end.  
  
He put the SUV in gear, heading down toward the barn. As he approached he could see the smoke still rising, and he found Owen, Tosh and Gwen inspecting the damage to the barn and the bodies of the Zarybok lying around. He climbed out, approaching them and looking around.  
  
"I got the shield. Zarybok took off once they realised they'd lost." He gestured around them. "Where are the survivors?"  
  
"Off to get proper medical attention," Owen answered without looking up.  
  
"Fair enough." Jack stepped inside the smouldering ring of ashes. "Ianto seeing them off?"  
  
The other three exchanged meaningful looks, Jack frowning as he felt a wave of unease wash over him. He looked at Gwen of an explanation. The woman exchanged one last look at her colleagues before meeting Jack's eye.  
  
"Ianto isn't coming back with us, Jack."  
  
Jack blinked. "What?"  
  
"He's quit," Owen said, the look on his face the most open Jack had ever seen him. There was no 'I told you so' or 'you deserve this', but rather a sincere look of almost pity. "He asked us to tell you he's sorry, but he's not coming back to work and to consider this his official notice of resignation."  
  
"He's just being emotional." Jack pointed out toward where the road would be. "He went that way?"  
  
"Jack..." Gwen moved toward him. "Jack, don't–"  
  
He sidestepped her, moving out of the ring. "Start cleaning up. I'll be back in a moment."  
  
Gwen, Tosh and Owen exchanged helpless looks, but made no further move to stop him.


	10. Chapter 10

"So where you going to go?" Grant asked him as they watched as the ambulance carrying Colin and Jodie disappeared down the hill toward the main road. Anya still held onto his hand, refusing to leave him as he and Grant waited for their own ride having insisted that the kids go first.  
  
"I don't know," Ianto answered truthfully. "I just want to get as far away from all this as I can."  
  
"I have a place in Gloucester if you need somewhere to stay while you figure things out," Grant said. "I have a spare room for when my sister comes to stay, but she hasn't been up from London much since she and her husband had the baby last year."  
  
Ianto smiled faintly. "I might take you up on that, if only for a week."  
  
"Stay as long as you want. You don't even have to pay the rent."  
  
"No, I will insist on paying my way." He chuckled, wincing and clutching his sore rib. "I have a bit saved up."  
  
"You're a better man than I am then." Grant smiled, looking at where the police were discussing the events.  
  
"Ianto!"  
  
Ianto closed his eyes, letting out a long breath and swearing under his breath. He turned, looking up the hill and spotting Jack making his way down toward him.  
  
"The ex?" Grant asked.  
  
"Mm-hm." Ianto sighed, pushing Anya toward the other man. "I better go talk to him."  
  
"You need backup you just give me a call." Grant nodded to the side. "We'll be over there."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Ianto turned, setting himself and moving away from Grant to go and meet Jack halfway. Jack moved to come closer, Ianto raising a hand and stopping Jack in his tracks.  
  
"You got my message then," Ianto said.  
  
"I did, but I don't believe it." Jack shook his head. "You're grieving, Ianto. You can't make rational decisions while you're like this."  
  
"No Jack. I've been thinking about it for a long time." He swallowed, nodding up toward the train. "Look at our life, Jack. We're surrounded by death. I survived Canary Warf and had to watch everyone die around me. And it hasn't stopped, Jack. Everyone dies. How long until it's Tosh, Gwen or Owen? How long until it's me?"  
  
"That won't happen," Jack said. "I won't let it happen."  
  
"Just like you said this morning that no one was going to die today."  
  
"Okay. So I was wrong."  
  
"That's just it, Jack. You usually are about those things." Ianto gestured up toward the train. "Look at what happened tonight. There had to be over a hundred people on that train, and there were five survivors. Just five. Three of them were children, one of them an orphan because of this."  
  
"That wasn't my fault."  
  
"I know that. I know." Ianto shook his head, rubbing a hand behind his neck and closing his eyes. "But this sort of thing is everyday for us. We see it happen, never experience it. We never take the time to see. We remain disconnected because it would destroy us." Ianto set his jaw, meeting Jack's eye. "I've done it for so long I'm losing myself. It's destroying me. I can't do it anymore."  
  
Jack frowned, seeming to realise where this was going. "Ianto, I know I can't understand and I'm not even going to try, but you can't give up. Not you."  
  
"Yes Jack. Yes I can." Ianto spread his arms in a hopeless gesture. "This is me giving up."  
  
Jack shook his head. "I believe we're in this together–"  
  
"No we're not. You're you. The rest of us just get mixed up in your world." Ianto averted his eyes, fighting back the tears. He'd wanted to avoid this conversation. "Everyone close to you dies, Jack. I lost my friends today. I almost died. I want to live. I want to experience life."  
  
"You can do that. I can give you days off."  
  
"That's not enough."  
  
Jack stared at him, a look of helplessness and confusion on his face. "Ianto..."  
  
"Believe me, Jack, when I woke up this morning I didn't plan this. Even now, the last thing on my mind is to leave you, but I've got to. I have to get away."  
  
Jack took a half step forward, Ianto resisting the urge to step back. "There are many roads left."  
  
He nodded. "But for now, our roads are different."  
  
Jack sighed, chin dropping to his chest before he looked up again, defeat in his eyes. "Be careful."  
  
Ianto nodded. "I always am."  
  
Jack watched him for a moment, judging his reaction as he stepped forward. He brought his hands up, Ianto allowing Jack to take his face in his hands. Jack trailed his thumbs lightly over Ianto's jawbone before leaning in, pressing their lips together.  
  
Jack had probably intended it to be a quick kiss, but Ianto soon found his fingers buried in Jack's hair, kissing him hard and deep knowing full well this could be their last kiss, the last time he saw the enigmatic captain. Then again, Jack being Jack, he'd probably pop up again at some point when Ianto least needed him.  
  
Ianto was the one to pull back, gazing into Jack's eyes. "Goodbye, Jack."  
  
Jack didn't reply but let him go, Ianto turning before Jack could see the tears beginning to well up in his eyes. He had never worried about showing weakness in front of him before, but this time was different. He could see Grant and Anya waiting for him at the bottom of the hill, and he smiled at them.  
  
"Ianto."  
  
He paused, turning and looking back at Jack, noticing for the first time that Jack was almost crying himself.  
  
Jack set his jaw. "I love you."  
  
Ianto stared at him for a long while, taking in Jack's posture and gaze. After a moment he shook his head. "I don't believe you."  
  
Without another word and turned and continued to walk down the hill, leaving Jack alone. He didn't look back again.  
  
 **END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> he lines "I believe we are in this together", "there are many roads left" and "the last thing on my mind is to leave you" are also from the song 'Relax'. As previously mentioned, the main song used for the challenge is "Relax (Take it Easy)" by Mika, but this fic's soundtrack also includes "This Heart Attack" by Faker, and "Cry for You (Candlelight Edit)" by September. Check them out - they're really good.


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